Do's and Don'ts for Users
http://www.babycenter.com/help-aboutus-terms-1

Terms of Use
http://www.babycenter.com/help-aboutus-terms

Hello everyone! Welcome to the July 2013 Birth Club! Megz8307, Jen_tastic, TrippyGypsyMama, Starsvanished, and bottlesoup are here as your Group Owners.

BabyCenter welcomes all, no matter what stage of the parenting journey you are on. From deciding to try, to taking the test; from babies loved and lost and babies learning to crawl and walk; from preschool to grade-school; from the tween years to the teen years and beyond, every member on BabyCenter has the right to share the story of his or her unique parenting journey. Our community is a place of personal free expression, where we value an honest and supportive exchange of ideas and experiences. We encourage celebration of the journey of parenting through sharing of photos, journals, kidisms, and group posts.

Important information:
Please use the "Report this" link found on every post and thread. When you report, you can choose to report it to the community, the group owners or both. We do not see reports sent to the community. If you have something that needs handled, please report it to the group owners as that will get the fastest action.

You may also use the "Ignore user" button to avoid reading posts from members you prefer not to interact with.

If you wish to communicate with another member directly, you can use the "Pass a note" (PAN) link. You cannot share PANs publicly. This includes using direct verbage or stating who sent a PAN. If you are personally attacked or spammed in a PAN, please report it. Every PAN has a "Report this" link as well. Those reports are not seen by the Group Owners, just the community moderators. Please take note of your inbox--if there is a problem with your post or thread, the GO's may give you an opportunity to edit it before any corrective action is taken.

If you are on a Mobile Device you can perform all the normal functions of a computer by scrolling to the bottom of any page and clicking "Classic View".

If you have any questions or concerns, feel free to PAN any of the Group Owners and we will try to respond as quickly as possible.
If you have an issue with a decision made by a Group Owner or Mod, please do not start a thread about it. These usually end up being violations and are deleted. It is best to email the community at community@babycenter.com or PAN a GO directly.

Please remember this is the internet and anything you post here can be found using Google. Use discretion when posting photos or personal information. Any photo used to attack, demean or mock another member will be viewed as a personal attack and deleted. While many of you may be very excited to share your ultrasound photos, please remember to block out your name and any identifying information. Any PANs relating to reports may be shared between GOs of this board and GOs/mods (Community) only.

If you have a problem with something decided on by the Group Owners or Moderators, DO NOT call the problem out on the board. It is more often than not considered a disruption to the community, and therefore, a guideline violation. We also cannot discuss specific actions taken on the public board, so please PAN us with specific questions.

If you have questions about what constitutes a violation of any one of these guidelines please ask a GO and we'll be glad to explain them to you. If you feel that any of the guidelines are being violated please utilize the "Report this" function on either the original post itself or individual comments within the thread.

First and foremost we are members of this community. We are here because we want to be around other moms of July 2013 babies. In our roles as GOs, we are here to make sure that the guidelines are followed. Please understand that, while we take every Report seriously, if a Reported post is not a BBC violation, we cannot, in good conscience, delete it. It also is impossible to PAN each member who reported a non-violating post, explaining why it is not in violation. If you disagree with the GOs' decision, you can always report the post to the BBC Staff who will conduct its own investigation. Also, please remember that all we can do is delete posts/threads and lock down threads that are in violation and we cannot delete pictures that a member has posted in their albums. If you find a picture offensive, please contact the BBC Staff directly. We also cannot ban or suspend members from this group. Only Mods can do this.

If you see a thread or comment that you feel needs attention, use the "report this" link found in the bottom right corner and choose the Group Owner option. This is the fastest way for us to be able to respond- we will all get it and it provides us with a link to the thread. Remember, even if we don't provide you with a response about your report, we do read and look into every single one. If we decide action is required, we will take it. While we are all active members on this board, it is impossible for us to read every thread/post. Your participation in keeping this a welcoming birth board is greatly appreciated.
Please remember this is a PUBLIC board. Anything you post here (photos, comments, threads, public journals etc) is public. Anyone who wants to search can find it. (Google your screenname and Babycenter and you may be surprised what comes up). Anything you post here can also be linked to Facebook, myspace, Twitter etc. If you do not want your photos, information, opinions, thoughts etc out there for anyone with determination and a computer to find, don't post it here!
All PANs sent to a GO regarding board business may be shared with the other GOs, unless the sender specifies otherwise.
BBC Guidelines:
You'll find more in depth info regarding each of these guidelines by following the link below.

1. Personal attacks are unacceptable.
Not everyone on this board will agree, so keep in mind that being rude or snarky is not a personal attack. You can find examples of personal attacks and hate speech ("retard", "Nazi, etc) listed in the community guidelines. The use of these and other derogatory words or name-calling is not allowed. More examples are provided in the Community Guidelines.

Sometimes there will be threads that you think may be fake or started by a "troll". Do not call this person out as a troll, "bridge dweller", or any other code word that might be created. Follow DER- Don't engage, report. Calling someone a "Troll" is against community guidelines. Remember, if you believe an account has been created for malicious purposes, please report to the Community Mods. They are better equipped to handle those situations, whereas Group Owners are very limited.

PA's in the form of lol-cats and memes are not allowed.

2. Hate-speech is not permitted.
Examples are provided in the Community Guidelines.

3. Do not deliberately disrupt the community.
If a thread is locked for disrupting the community and a spin off thread is created to continue the argument/drama, that thread will be deleted. If a spin-off is created to address "Drama" from a post that HAS NOT been locked/deleted, the post will be monitored closely, and locked if causing a disruption.
Debates that stay on topic, and are within community guidelines will stay open. However, threads that are created for the purpose of starting drama (fake or real) will be removed.

In addition, all threads/comments that refer to abortion as "murder" will be removed, as well as threads/comments that refer to circumcision as "mutilation".

Finally, please note that we have a zero-tolerance policy for cross-board drama. Threads created in July 2013 for the sole purpose of disrupting the community will be deleted in accordance with BBC community guidelines. If you suspect cross-board drama here or on another board, please do not engage in the drama and report it to the group owners and community.

4. Bullying or harassment will not be tolerated.
Some examples of what is considered bullying or harassment: Excessive messaging to a member to continue a disagreement, even when the member does not respond. Continuously posting on a thread to be disruptive without contributing to the original discussion. Calling out a member, either in a separate thread or within an existing thread, to insult, attack, harass. Stalking a member in other groups (public or private). Leaving harassing comments after you have been removed from a group, or warned to stop. "Ganging up" on a member for opposing beliefs, especially members who are not members of this group.

5. Illegal activity is not allowed on the site.

6. No XXX. (this refers to photos/links to adult sites)
This is includes photos of private parts, both male and female.

8. No soliciting or SPAM.
BBC does not allow anyone to advertise their business or blog, any goods to change hands (including coupons), or any threads asking for votes on public boards in posts or comments. You can create your own private group or include the link in your signature. For these purposes, please join the:

***"Vote for me" posts are not allowed here. You can post them in the Vote for Me group. You may also add a link to your signature.

Regarding Profanity:
Swearing in the body of the thread is not a violation. Swearing in a THREAD TITLE is a violation and this includes replacing letters with symbols. (ex: $hi%, f&C#, etc) If you post a title violating this rule, you will be PAN'd and asked to edit it. Your thread will be closed until it is edited, and it may be deleted if the title is not corrected.

Good Samaritan Posts:
If you are moved by a cause and want to spread the word, this can be done on the Good Causes Board. This is mainly for not-for-profits and sponsorships. Please familiarize yourself with the Board's rules before posting. You can also create a link to sites in your signature.

Deleting Threads:
You are not able to delete posts once you create them. Only a GO or a Mod can delete them and/or a thread. Threads in this group will only be deleted if they are in violation of the BBC Community Guidelines. If you're going to put it out there, please be prepared to stand by it.

Thread Titles:
If you are going to post something that might invoke stress or sadness in some of our nervous moms, please consider putting the word, "Trigger" or "Warning" in the title.

Support only please:
If you're posting something that you know you're not going to be able to handle getting any comments of the opposite perspective please consider putting "Support only, please" at the top of your post. To others reading a post with that in the title, please be compassionate and follow through on the member's request.

Search function:
There is a Search box to the right of the list of threads in the middle of the screen that may come in handy in finding an answer to your question before needing to post and ask. Many of the common questions/topics have been covered many times over.

GO posts:
Please remember that your GOs are members of this community also. They will be involved in threads just like you. If a GO must post on a thread in a GO capacity, they will post in such a way (i.e. red ink or using July 2013 GO in the signature) that you will be able to tell when they are posting as a GO vs. a regular member.

CAPS / lack of paragraphs / Text Speak:
Just a suggestion that you will most likely get more responses to your posts if you do not use the CAPS lock or post one huge block of text without paragraphs. In the same respect, text speak is often hard to read for some members, and that may also change the number of responses you may have gotten had you used better grammar and spelling.

For a complete list of guidelines please visit the BBC Community Guidelines.

Thank you all for helping to make the July 2013 Birth Club a place that we all can enjoy!

Helpful Links:

How-Tos
http://www.babycenter.com/community-help-howto

Community Guidelines
http://www.babycenter.com/community-help-guidelines